Build towards a demanding question through manageable entry points.
Science: for “Explain why the trolley accelerates”, ask: Which forces act? Which direction has the greater force? What does that imply for motion? Then rebuild the explanation.
Keep the original intellectual goal visible while breaking entry into smaller questions.
Display the full question and name its goal.
Ask one manageable question about a necessary part.
Connect that answer to the next piece of reasoning.
Reassemble the parts into an answer to the original question.
Remove intermediate prompts on a new diagram.
Keep the subject challenge. Offer one model, visual or language prompt where needed, then check a fresh independent response.
Keep the original intellectual goal visible while breaking entry into smaller questions.
Display the full question and name its goal. Ask one manageable question about a necessary part.
Ask for the whole explanation; several isolated correct answers do not yet show the connection.
Remove intermediate prompts on a new diagram.
Ask for the whole explanation; several isolated correct answers do not yet show the connection.
Adapt these prompts to the task and your learners.
Our purpose is: Build towards a demanding question through manageable entry points.
Which detail supports your explanation? Show me how you know.
Try the new case on your own. Show the detail or reasoning that supports your answer.
Which support do you still need, and which part can you now do independently?
Maths: separate identifying information from choosing and justifying a method.
Humanities: separate claim, source evidence and significance before rebuilding an argument.
Use a small word bank, visuals and partner rehearsal when needed. Extend with precise explanations and qualifications. Judge the support from the response to this task.
Keep the strategy. Change the subject.
Keep “Explain why the trolley accelerates” visible, but first ask which forces act and which direction has the greater force.
A forward resultant force acts on the trolley, so its velocity changes in that direction.
Return to the whole question; isolated force labels are not yet an explanation.
Break a judgement about a source into what it shows, which detail supports that claim and what it cannot establish.
The poster encourages enlistment through direct address, but it cannot establish everyone’s response.
Ask learners to rebuild a connected judgement without the intermediate prompts.
Break an interpretation into noticing a word, explaining its connotations and connecting it to the atmosphere.
“Whispered” suggests quiet speech and may make the scene feel secretive.
Use a new passage and check that learners reconnect the parts independently.
For an average-speed problem, ask for the change in distance, elapsed time and appropriate operation before the whole explanation.
Distance increases by 6 m over 3 s; dividing 6 by 3 gives an average speed of 2 m/s.
Check that learners use the change in distance rather than the final value alone.